Hallucination
by Kryhs
Summary: Seven years can change alot, especially if your name is Sarah Williams. Sarah has now made her life as normal as possible: A music career and a band that loves her like a sister. But, no matter how hard she tries she can't escape the Labyrinth.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to either the main characters or the songs in this story. The characters are owned and operated, in some cases, by the Jim Henson Home Entertainment Company. In no way do I claim ownership to the characters of the movie Labyrinth, but I do claim ownership to any original characters that may come about. This statement remains valid through the whole of the story.

Author's note: If you are an amateur author and I have in some way offended you by "stealing" or "plagiarizing" your story, I apologize. Point one: as a fellow writer I do not intend to harm or belittle any of you in any way. Point two: unless you have the story copyrighted (which you cannot due to infringements of the movie Labyrinth), it is not plagiarism and I am appalled that you would accuse me of such. If I have used an idea that comes up in your story I will change it accordingly to where the story is not at all the same. And I do confess and limit myself to only two things from other stories that I find important to including in a story: Jareth's cruelty and the basis of legends on fear. I humbly ask the author of the story A Forfeit of Dreams to allow me this explanation of legends to be apart of my story.

_Kryhs_

Chapter One: Uninvited

"Are you sure it's on?" asked a young woman tapping the microphone in front of her. Her hazel eyes darted around the faces behind the pane of glass a few feet away from her.

"Yes, Sarah. For the millionth time, 'we are sure the microphone is on'!" Her producer, Jack, said with an exasperated tone. He and his sound crew waited behind the glass for her to record her vocals for the new track her band had completed. The dark haired girl narrowed her eyes and blew hard into the device. She was rewarded with grimaces and groans of annoyance and protest.

"Sarah, for the love of god, Can we please get this track finished and done with?"

Sarah laughed and settled back onto her stool waiting for the music to begin in her headphones. She and her band had met in high school while she was in her sophomore year. During that time she wrote lyrical poetry. Her English teacher told her that it was vibrant and dark at the same time. There was a longing, a secretive aching, as well as a sense of trepidation in her words, she had said. Ms. Wallace, her teacher, introduced her to another miserable poet such as herself. His name was Chris.

Like Sarah, Chris had a haunting appeal to his poetry, yet he could turn his poetry into oral stories. Chris could write music, and his weapon of choice was the guitar. Sarah spent a lot of time with him at lunch, during which he introduced her to Hank, Riley, Alex, and Sean. Hank played the bass guitar, Riley the drums, Alex rhythm guitar, and Sean the keyboards. Together they became Reverie of Euthanasia; the newest band to take the world by storm.

Dream Killer was the name of their first album. Their songs were described as a trip to Never Land on a depressant after it has turned into a giant graveyard. The current song Sarah was recording, however, was a sort of acknowledgment of a certain someone seven years ago, mostly all the songs she wrote were. Compared to the other songs this one was, as Chris put it, 'soft core'.

Her smile faded as the haunted melody streamed through the wires and into her ears. She began to sing, softly at first and a crescendo as the music swelled. Her voice fluctuated with the tones of the song. Seven years ago her dream of a career as an actress died, after her adventure into the Labyrinth. No, no thinking about that now. Not during the song. It's best not to dwell on the past.

Now she sang. She sang out her stories that she so loved to act as a child. Yes, when she was a child. She was so young and naïve and…it wasn't her fault really; she just didn't understand what she was doing. Unfortunately _he_ didn't see it that way. He adamantly suggested that taking her brother away was what she really wanted and offered her dreams in exchange for keeping the boy. But, not even that could mitigate the guilt she felt when her wish really did come true. As for the songs she sang, she could not help to think about him. To her disdain, he was her inspiration: His cruelty, his treachery, and his beauty. Oh, and he was beautiful.

She began picturing the alluringly brutal man in her mind's eye: His hair pale blonde and done up in an elaborate style, his clothing just as complex as his hair. His eyes unlike: one light and one dark both filled with a promise for mischief and trickery. Tall and treacherous, he would haunt her dreams forever. Her fears spurned his memory to burn into her mind. No matter how she tried, no matter how traumatizing, he would never let her forget.

Sarah crooned the next verse with new incentive. The words poured themselves into the microphone and she glared at a spot on the wall just above the glass.

He pursued her like some thing he had never encountered before. Not so much as pursue as he stalked her like an owl stalks a field mouse.

He claimed his love for her, and like a fool she believed him…at first. She came to realize at the very end that he didn't want her love; he wanted her obedience, her fear. She had fought him. To the very end she fought him, defied him, hurt him when she could. And it had worked. Toby was safe, and she was in a sound booth recording the last song for her debut album. She felt he was always there. His scornful laughter startled her most nights when she was on the verge of sleep. His eyes glared at her from the darkness. His presence was all around her. But, she knew it wasn't really him. It was her mind keeping her alert should there be a chance that he returned for her. He claimed everything was for her. He claimed generosity. He had the audacity to try and justify his terrorizing of a fifteen year old girl, and then fault her for not appreciating his 'munificent' nature.

_"Generous!" She advanced another step. "What have you done that was generous?" _

_"Everything. I have done everything you wanted. You asked that the child be taken. I took him. You cowered before me. I was frightening. I have reordered time," he told her. The thirteen-hour clock had appeared, floating above his head. Its hands were whirling around. "I have turned the world upside down. And I have done it all for you," he said with a shake of his head. _

"_I am exhausted from living up to your expectations. Isn't that generous?" _

The song was coming to an end.

And with that it was over.

Sarah suddenly felt exhausted. She pulled the headphones off and placed them carefully on the music stand in front of her. That was enough for the day. If they didn't like the current track they could trash it for all she cared. She wasn't going to think about it anymore.

Looking up she saw that everyone was staring at her.

"What?" she asked guardedly. She looked at the shocked expressions of Chris and the rest of the people in the box, "What!"

Chris cleared his throat and began, "We've never heard you sing that way before, Sarah." Everyone around him nodded.

"Yeah, it's like you were trying to prove yourself to someone. As if you…were trying to over power them with your voice," Riley added, "Who ever pissed you off, I hope they do it again!"

"You keep singing like that and we'll be famous before the sun sets tomorrow!" Alex interjected, his angled bangs flipped back so he could look at her.

Sarah looked at Jack, who merely beamed his blatant approval of her performance. She smiled and exited the recording booth. Greeted with hugs and applause, Sarah walked into the mixing room in order to hear what they all were so ecstatic about.

-x-X-x-X-x-

An hour later, Reverie of Euthanasia was found in Jack's office discussing the albums release date.

"Since we have the entire album recorded, all we need is to piece it all together," he said repositioning himself behind his large oak desk, "We debut in two weeks."

"Two Weeks!" they cried in unison.

"Is that even possible?" Alex cried from his reclined position on a leather couch next to Sarah.

"Yeah, seriously," Sarah chirped. Jack smiled at his protégés.

"Yes, it is!" he said stepping out from behind his desk, "The editors I've hired have agreed to put in ten hours a day for a solid two weeks in order to get your music on the shelves! That way we can get the tour under way as soon as possible!"

"A tour!" cried Sarah happily.

"Yes indeed, ma'am. We've got the dates set up and confirmed already. It's a small tour, but your followers will be many considering that I've already sent thousands upon thousands of singles of The Dream to every music retail store in the nation."

"Jack you're kidding!" Sarah exclaimed standing up. Sean popped up next to her and whirled her around in an immense bear hug after Jack confirmed what he said. The room brightened with the joyfulness that the band felt.

"We're getting our big break!" Riley cried in a triumphant voice.

"Hell Yeah!" howled the others pumping their fists into the air.

The band decided to celebrate at a local bar. Their big break was here. They were going to make it in the world of music. She and Chris had been planning this since they were in high school. College came around and they all began taking classes to help them achieve their goal.

Now Sarah sat with her best friends in the world, celebrating their accomplishment. She shrank away from the conversation to watch them. Alex and his flashy ways of getting attention, Hank quiet and reserved, a stereotypical drummer, Riley and his stable logic, Sean being the prankster that he was, slipping sugar in Chris' beer. And, Chris: the Captain of their ship. Sarah and Chris had a thing for each other from the very moment their eyes met. When Chris had tried to make something out of their relationship, Sarah shied away from it. There was only one person who occupied her dreams, and he wasn't going to share her. Though she hated him with all her being, she couldn't perceive herself being with anyone else, and that scared her more than anything about the Goblin King. How he could control her nightmarishly, without even being near her for over seven years.

Sarah felt a hand on her shoulder and realized that they were all watching her expectantly.

"Wait, what?" she blurted out not so elegantly. They all laughed.

"We were toasting our song bird, but she seems a little distracted at the moment," Chris laughed. Sarah smiled sheepishly and lifted her glass, "As I was saying, Sarah, you're beautiful in more ways than one," her body stiffened at his words then relaxed as the others murmured their agreement, "Though all of us have been subject to your temper tantrums, don't glare I'm not done, and you intimidate each and every guy you've ever met-I said don't glare; you're song writing skills are awesome, I'd like to take credit for that. You're an incredible artist and your voice is like an angel. We couldn't have done it without you. To you, Sarah, God help the man that marries you!" He finished raising his glass towards her. The others shouted "Here, here!" and Sarah narrowed her eyes with a smile on her face and took a sip of her drink. She smiled and set down the glass pushing back her chair.

"Well, I don't know about you ladies, but I'm ready to turn in for the night!" she said jokingly. The band laughed and all of them began splitting the tab.

As they walked outside they said their goodbyes and Chris and Sarah headed for the studio apartment they shared.

"Well, Sarah, our dream is coming true. We're really gonna make it, I know it."

"I know. I'm just still in shock. Talk to me when I come back down to earth, I'll be able to respond better then." They laughed. After a while their conversation had run dry as an unlike pair of eyes watched them from high above.

"You know, Sarah," Chris began as they walked through the cool night. His black hair shimmered in the moonlight and his dark eyes gleamed with hope, "Everything I said tonight. Every word is true. You are beautiful in every way." Sarah kept her eyes glued to the sidewalk. She didn't think this was happening. They had talked about this already.

"Chris I…"

"No, Sarah," he interrupted her, "Don't ruin it for me. I just wanted you to understand me…that's all. Don't let me lose hope so soon."

"Chris I can't keep quiet. We talked about this," she implored. His head hung low as she spoke, "I would love to. You're a great guy; you're wonderful…in every way." She was gifted with a dejected smile, "But, there's just this one thing that…"

"I know, I know, it's him." She stared wide-eyed at her friend. Did he know? How did he find out? She hadn't told anyone about Jareth and how he troubled her thoughts. What was that sound? Ok, Sarah, now you're just being paranoid.

"You know, whoever that guy is that you sang to today."

"I wasn't singing to him." She bit off with an edge in her voice, "I was berating him any way that I could considering he isn't here."

"Ah, so there is a guy."

"N-no! No there isn't a guy, and I doubt there ever will be thanks to my experiences as a kid. Now can we please drop the subject?" she asked heatedly. Chris began to snigger his response as they ascended the steps of their home. Sarah said his name admonishingly before he stopped and began to unlock the door to the apartment complex.

"I'm just teasing," he said reaching back and ruffling her dark hair, "What's the point in being _your_ friend if I can't laugh when your temper gives way?" Sarah playfully glowered at him as he opened the door.

"I suppose my temper can be your source of amusement for now, but you'd better hope I don't kill you when the tour starts up."

The two of them laughed as they entered the complex, but something made Sarah freeze in her tracks and her eyes grow wide with worry.

Somewhere off in the night an owl screeched its existence to the world.


	2. The Dream

_Author's Note: As you may have already noticed, each of the chapter titles are going to be names of songs, and to the best of my ability I will try and display the songs tone somewhere in the chapter. You can download these songs and use them as a sort of musical representation of this story. Each chapter is a different song, sort of like a soundtrack. This particular song is, in my opinion, a well described depiction of the movie. It's almost exactly the same. I love it and so should you (if you don't like rock music then I will try to find another song that might match the movie for you, just let me know)! The song is called The Dream by Birthday Massacre; there is an awesome Labyrinth music video on made by namelessshe. I highly recommend it!_

_Enjoy!_

_Kryhs_

Chapter Two: The Dream

The sun shone through the make shift curtains that Sarah had stuck into the window in her bunk on the tour bus, and onto her face. Her countenance scrunched into a scowl as she blindly reached for the curtain. After feeling around for what seemed like forever to Sarah, she succeeded in capturing the dark material in her hands and yanking them closed. However, Sarah did not succeed in keeping them there for long. As her hand slipped away from the curtains, she had the misfortune of pulling them out entirely making the sun light increase in her sacred bunk space.

Sarah growled and sat up, glaring as best as she could at the bright window. She'd break the window later; right now she was too tired. It had been two weeks since Dream Killer had hit the stores and already Reverie of Euthanasia's recognition was through the roof. Now if only she could manage to look as good as she did on the album cover, during a concert all her problems would be solved. She hadn't thought about anything but practicing, music, sleep, and the constant need for Aleve due to hangovers every morning.

Rubbing her hands over her face, she kicked her sheet off and pulled back the drape that cut her bunk off from the bus. She looked out, still scowling, and saw that everyone else was already awake. Riley was playing a game boy or PSP or something, she really didn't care right now. Hank was listening to something on his headphones, laid out in his bunk staring at the ceiling. Chris and Alex were playing chess on a magnetized board so that the lurching of the bus didn't disturb the pieces, and Sean was playing around with melodies on a small keyboard. Sarah slowly lowered herself onto the floor and readjusted her shorts and camisole top that she had been sleeping in then proceeded towards the bathroom. Chris glanced up, as she passed.

"Good morning, gorgeous!" he said teasingly. Sarah's hair was fluffy and tangled everywhere. Her eyes were still scrunched together trying to regulate to the light, and her mouth was clamped shut due to a bad case of morning breath. She walked in slow small steps caused by the massively filled bladder she had and gave Chris a certain finger before she closed the bathroom door behind her. Inside the small restroom, Sarah sighed heavily and turned on the faucet. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, then grabbed a comb and embarked on taking the tangles out. She exited the bathroom only to return to her bunk, open a drawer, pull out some clothes, and return to it. Closing the door, a little more softly this time, she changed into a pair of baggy black pants, and a black tank top. She picked up the comb and ran it through her hair to make sure she got all the tangles out. She stared at it for a while. How on earth did Chris and Alex convince her to cut it? That was beyond her. But, some how they did and thank the goddess she drew the line at cutting it. It wasn't that the hair cut was bad, she was just used to it being long and all one length. Her hair was cut just below her shoulder blades and had choppy layers. The first layer began at her jaw line. She hated bangs, not that she had bangs but she considered any hair that hung in her face bangs.

Grabbing a hair tie, Sarah left the bathroom and plopped down on the small sofa in the back next to Alex.

"'Bout time you woke up, girly." He said moving his knight to take one of Chris' bishops.

"What time is it?" she asked cradling her chin in the palm of her hand.

"Like three thirty in the afternoon." She watched the game with mild interest. The tour had started three days after the album's release. Already they had been to over three states and played almost ten shows. Sarah was tired, but this was the dream she wanted wasn't it, to be a musician? But, why had no one told her it would be _this_ tiring? She closed her eyes and thought about what lay ahead for her and the others.

The parties that occurred after the concerts were filled with drunken dancing and groupies, male and female, trying to get in good with the band. She hated those people. The suck ups; the ones who would try anything just to follow you along on your ride into fame; the ones who only stuck around for the money and the fortune. Chris was the only one who hadn't bought into any of their lies. He and Sarah knew exactly what these people wanted. Alex and the others didn't care what they lied about. They knew exactly what the girls had intended when they asked them to have sex, and they knew that just because they bedded them didn't mean that they were an item. Though it was vindictive, Sarah applauded Alex and the others. Thanks to them, there would be fewer groupies in the world now.

Sarah gave a sadistic smile at that thought. She was sounding more and more like _him_ every day. She frowned. No, never would she allow that to happen. He was an awful person, thing, whatever he was. He was terrible and petrifying. She hated him, no matter what she hated him. He kidnapped Toby, had scared both of them, harassed her and tracked her movement through the Labyrinth like it was a game. But, of course that's what it was to him, a game: A game in which he frightened anyone who dared to play it. But according to him, no one ever finished; probably due to the fact that he screwed with everyone's head in that horrible place.

"Stop it, Sarah…" she hissed, "Don't think about it, not now."

"You say something, Princess?" Chris asked, the click of a magnet being stuck into place sounding right after his words. Sarah's head snapped up and she opened her eyes.

"Just talking to myself," she said readjusting her position next to Alex. Chris eyed her for a moment.

"We've got a show at like seven or something," he moved his queen to take Alex's last night, "so don't get all, 'oh woe is me, I don't feel like singing tonight' on us ok?"

"Yeah, whatever just make sure you don't screw up your solo this time," she said standing up.

"Hey!" he called never looking up from his game, "I did just fine thank you; I was able to salvage that little slip up!"

"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that!" she yawned moving towards the mini fridge, "Damnit, who ate all the cupcakes!"

-x-X-x-X-x-

Good Jesus, there are a lot of people out there tonight, Sarah thought looking out into the crowd. Pacing back and forth back stage was not helping to ease Sarah's nerves. She looked out into the crowd thoughtfully. There were much more people here than at any of the previous performances they had. She eyed each visible face warily. Their following consisted of a very gothic crowd. Not that she was complaining their music wasn't exactly the happiest thing in the world. It just showed that her lyrics meant something to people, they connected with it. Though they would never fully grasp the concept behind the lexis she wrote, no one would, not even Chris she enjoyed having a following. It was her secret and hers alone.

"Sarah?" she spun around to see Chris smiling at her, his eyes bemused by her fussing, "Why do you always do this?"

She stopped fidgeting and looked out into the crowd again, "I don't know what you're talking about." He laughed.

"Yes, you do. In the last two weeks everytime we've played a show, you're always restless and nervous back stage but the minute we walk out there you turn into this killer rock star."

Sarah gave him a self-conscious glance and returned to fidgeting and casting nervous looks into the audience. Suddenly the lights dimmed and Sarah obediently followed her friends into the low lighting of the stage. She felt someone staring at her, not like the normal sycophantic stares of her fans, but a more devious one. It sent chills up her spine as she approached the microphone. She looked everywhere, but still couldn't find the source of said vibe. Sarah shrugged it off as best she could and held up her hand for silence. The clamor of the mob muted and she beamed at them her eyes wild like someone with a neurosis. Chris was right she changed on stage. Suddenly she had a hunger to drown this horde with their music.

"Good evening!" she said pleasantly, "Are you guys ready?" The crowd roared with excitement. A distorted sound began for two eight counts then the tune seeped in slowly, stopped then came again. Suddenly the smash of the harmony and melody colliding together permeated the entire venue.

Sarah sang with a sultry voice staring out into the crowd, daring them to sing with her. She leaned into the microphone stand, making the show as flashy and theatrical as she could.

After she sang the last lines of the verse she felt the feeling of being watched again. Goosebumps began to rise all over her skin. Was she imagining it or did she just see a mane of blonde hair. She looked around quickly and saw a girl with bright curly blonde hair jumping up and down. She inwardly sighed in relief and began taunting the crowd again. She threw her head around letting her hair fly in all directions and grabbed the microphone vigorously, still the feeling persevered.

Sarah closed her eyes and felt the next verse rip through her being and surge with the music.

Sarah looked around the small concert hall. The prickling feeling kept tugging at her stomach and her nerves were screaming that something was wrong.

As Sarah snatched the microphone and began to sing, she saw who was staring at her, not their countenance, but she saw their form really. They stood with a black panama jack hat covering their face, a dark coat buttoned up and tied about the waist. Their hands were shoved deep into the pockets of the coat and they stood motionless in the swarming crowd that danced to the music. She glared at this person. They were testing her control over the crowd. She sang at them, not to them, challenging them to move to her words. And she sang:

They never moved, just stood there with their face shielded by the hat. Standing there, taunting her, ridiculing her with their calm demeanor. Sarah turned and ignored the spiteful person for the rest of the evening. She had a concert to perform.

-x-X-x-X-x-

It was dark. The evening, warm and sticky distracted her on her way back to the hotel they were staying at. The show went very well, the crowd loved them, and flocked the bus in order to get autographs. Sarah signed them with a loving smile. These were her admirers, she would deny them nothing. But, now that that was over she made her way back to her room in hopes of taking a shower and getting some much needed rest.

She continued her journey through the dimly lit streets and towards her destination: slumber. She waited impatiently as a light turned green and she had to wait for the walk sign to reappear. Only in the city would the streets still be crowded at one in the morning. She left the others at the club and prayed that they wouldn't wake her up with their drunken stupidity when they returned. She began tapping her foot and mumbling to herself about lights taking to long to change when she heard another taping that wasn't coming from her feet. Slowly she turned to look behind her, and much to her relief there was nothing there. The walk light clicked on and she hurried across the street.

She set off at a medium pace, glancing behind her every so often. The air was stuffy and hot, causing her to perspire even more than her apprehension was causing. The sound of other footsteps drew closer behind her. She stopped and took a peek behind her to see a hobo walking a little too close to her. She rolled her eyes and cursed herself for a fool before setting off again, the hobo still following behind her. She looked behind her again and saw his scrawny form waddling behind her at a fast pace. She turned back around and tried to ignore him, but his grunting and shuffling kept picking at her nerves. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and whirled around to tell him to shove off, when she noticed something completely wrong with the picture.

There, on the ground looking completely out of place with the grimy city surroundings was a perfectly round crystal. It glinted attractively in the street lights and began to roll away. For Sarah, this did not bode well. The crystal was almost out of sight when Sarah broke into a run and chased after it. She followed it down different streets until finally it turned into a darkened alley. Sarah hesitated at the alley's entrance and watched as the crystal gleamed down the alley. It stopped at the foot of a door at the end of the dark pathway. She cautiously walked down the alley, her eyes darting every which way. She watched everything around her with a heightened sense of uneasiness hoping that the shadows on the wall were just shadows.

When she reached the door the crystal was no where to be seen and the alley had to other doorways or passages leading off of it. Petrified, Sarah extended her hand to grasp the knob of the door, but just as her fingers touched the cold metal the door was swung open and a faceless shape hauled her into the dark. She blinked several times trying to place where she was, yet the dark was so substantial she couldn't see anything. Gradually her eyes adjusted to the shadowy space and she took a few steps into the empty room. The air smelled of mold and some other sordid thing she couldn't quite place. The sound of water drops echoed through the small enclosed space, and that's when Sarah realized there was only one way out. She turned and ran towards the door she had just come through and was spun around and thrown to the floor by an unknown force. She groaned and struggled to sit up while the sound of a tongue clicking in reprimand resonated in her ears.

"Leaving so soon? Can't have that now can we? Don't you want to see why you were dragged here in the first place?" The steely voice sent waves of fear crashing down over Sarah and she froze in a sitting position on the damp floor. The room suddenly grew hot and dingy, the smell of decay was apparent to her now. This room was rotting, and he brought her here to scare her. She hardened herself for his next onslaught. She had defeated him seven years ago. Why should she fear him? He was in her world now, and she would not have him threatening her as if she were still a little girl. She stood vigilantly. Staring around the room didn't seem to help at all. The only things she could see were the glint of scarce light on water's surface and a small shine in the center of the room. The crystal!

Sarah marched over to where she supposed the crystal to be and found not one, but five crystals all bunched together. She kneeled down to look into one of them and saw nothing but a shining obscurity. Laughter rang in her ears.

"I'm not afraid of you, Jareth!" She challenged the darkness, "You can't scare me anymore!"

"Can't I?" said a poisonous voice right in her ear. Startled, she felt his breath on her neck and twisted around quickly. There he was, in all his malevolent glory. Tall as she remembered, one eye blue, one a mixture of brown and green, both shining maliciously; he smiled that same cruel smile he reserved only for her. He wore that same high collared cloak from their very first meeting. Black leggings clung tightly to his bodice and his tall suede boots clicking against the floor as he approached her.

"Hello, Sarah." he said mockingly, "It's always a pleasure to see you."

"Get out of here!" she growled. He shook his finger at her with a derisive smile placed firmly upon his lips.

"Ah, ah, ah, you haven't asked me how I've been doing. Really, Sarah you ought to learn some manners. You wouldn't want people wandering through life thinking how disrespectable you are, would you?" She glared daggers at him, "Speaking of which, you also have not asked me what my reason of business is here." The Goblin King began pacing around her in a circle gesturing his hands in a vague motion about the deteriorating room. His fingers momentarily flitted towards the five crystals on the floor beside her and she looked up at him.

"Why are you here and why are there five crystals on the floor?" her glare increased as he deliberately ignored her.

"How's life been Sarah? Anymore fair then the last time we met? You know I've heard about what you've done with yourself. Pity, I was hoping to see you as an aspiring actress now days." His voice was filled with false sympathy.

"Why are you here?" she pressed. Jareth rolled his eyes and stopped circling her. Turning to face her, he locked his mismatched eyes with her own.

"I asked you a question, Sarah." He said in a low tone.

"I asked you one first, _Jareth_." She allowed herself to be bold, trying to calm the shivers in her spine. He smiled and ignored her question again.

"How's your career doing? That whole," he made a large gesture with his hand, "band thing, hmm?" I heard it's taken quite a good turn." He said brightly. Why would he be asking her about her career? Sarah thought on his words for a moment then realized that he was giving her clues. Her eyes grew wide with understanding.

"So you haven't lost your ability to think, then?" he said spitefully, "Am I a good enough muse for you, Sarah? What song was it now? Oh, yes 'The Dream' I believe. I rather like that one; it reminds me so much of our time together."

"What have you done with them?" she said in almost a whisper.

"Pardon me, dear? I couldn't here you, you were far too quiet."

Silence.

"Figured it out have you? And here I was thinking we'd beat around the bush for another hour or so before you caught on."

"What have you done with them!" she screamed at him, "Oh God, are they in those things!" She reached down for one of the crystals but her hand was snatched away quickly. Jareth held Sarah's hand with a vice like grip and backed her away from the crystals.

"Temper, temper, Sarah, you really need to practice having patience."

"Let my friends go! What do you want with them; they haven't done anything to…" she stopped short, "Who wished it? Who did you trick into making a wish?"

"Trick? Sarah has your perception of me really taken that low of a dive? I would never 'trick' anyone into making a wish…he did it himself, the foolish lout."

"Who made the wish?" she asked, desperately trying to tug her hand free.

"Wasn't a wish really, more of a promise, a pact if you will."

"Who, Jareth?"

Jareth merely looked down into the crystals on the floor as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Who did it!"

"Mmm, I believe his name was 'Chris' or something; Said something about 'goblins taking his band mates and him away if his dream came true'." He smiled wickedly.

"When did he do this?" she asked. She stopped struggling and Jareth relinquished his hold on her wrist. He made a sound as if in deep thought.

"Oh, I'd say six months ago," he said waving a hand. The crystals began floating up towards his open hands, "Of course his deal was not that we take them away and make his dream come true it was _when _his dream came true, so I couldn't approach him until his end of the bargain was completed."

"Why would he do that?" she asked brokenly.

"Now, why would I know something like that?" he asked walking around behind her. He paused for a moment, "My guess is that he met a girl who believed vigorously in a book and said something just as stupid as she had, seven years ago."

He stepped in front of her and looked at her coldly. The hurt in her eyes was evident.

"Well, I'll be on my way then," he said and he headed for the door.

"Wait!" she called out. If she could…Maybe if she could convince Jareth to let her play the game again she could save them. He stopped and turned around slowly.

"Yes?"

"Let in the Labyrinth again." Jareth blinked at her.

"My darling Sarah, why on earth would I do that? Unless you have something to pit against them, don't waste my time."

"Me,"

"Excuse me?"

"Take me,"

"Sarah, you're hardly worth five people," he sneered.

"Then let me try for each one of them in turn. Thirteen hours for every person," she might be able to get away with this, "keep me if I should fail even once."

"No," he said darkly, "Thirteen hours for the lot of them, and I keep you _and_ whoever you fail to rescue." Sarah looked at him for a moment, weighing her options. Just as she made to respond he cut her off, "I warn you now they will not all been in the same place in the Labyrinth." She hesitated for a moment.

"Deal,"

Then the world around her blurred into nothing and she woke on a hillside next to a dead tree.

"Thirteen hours, Sarah. That's all you have."

_Author's note: Sorry about the lines I won't ever try that again. Please don't hate me, but in order for my story to sound original I had to tweak the first chapter. Just minor changes: Sarah met Alex who introduced her to Chris. She and Chris have a thing for each other. Lots of other stuff happens. I love you guys, don't kill me, otherwise you won't know the rest insert evil laugh here! And I promise not every chapter is going to have lyrics in them. These first two just seemed appropriate. _

_Review please!_

Litheral: _Thank you very much! I look forward to any comments or criticisms you have in store for me! _

Nagasasu: _Is this soon enough? big smile_

Ridel: _Thanks a lot! I hope you enjoyed Chapter two!_

Anij: _Lol! My point exactly!_

_Okay I totally did not see that notice about the whole lyrics thing so I'll just give you the names of the songs and you can listen to them and fill in any parts you think are blank with them okay? Sorry guys!_


	3. Imaginary

_Author's Note: Sorry about all of the errors in the last chapter. I will try and triple check my work from now on. Thanks for your support!_

_Kryhs_

Chapter Three: Imaginary

"Wait! Why didn't you take me?" Sarah cried out to Jareth. The sound of the wind answered her question, "Aren't I part of the band? Jareth I'm talking to you, damn it!" She hollered and kicked the dirt. Her temper still flaring, Sarah made her way down towards the Labyrinth. She paused while she could still see the whole of the leviathan of a maze. Everything looked the same, and yet so different. Her memories played through her head like a movie, and now she was paying more attention to the detail of it all. She shook her head and continued down the hillside, this was no time for admiring the scenery.

Sarah reached the bottom of the hill and broke into a jog. Save your strength, Sarah, this is going to seem longer than last time. Technically it would be longer than last time if 'His Majesty' played fair. She remembered how he had fast forwarded time in the oubliette and frowned. What a prick. Going about things as if it were no consequence to him; doing as he pleases without a seconds thought towards anyone else. And he calls himself a king. Some king indeed, I bet he doesn't even care what happens to his subjects, she thought bitterly, Oh for crying out loud! What to I care, I'm going to beat him and get my friends back, just like last time, and then we're going home to finish the tour. But, something close to doubt kept tugging at the back of Sarah's mind and she faltered for a moment.

"No, you can't give up already! It hasn't even been ten minutes yet!" she yelled at herself angrily. She walked along the outer edge of the Labyrinth until she came upon the door, unguarded and opened wide. He was taunting her; telling her that even if he left the door wide open, she would never make it to the end. What did he have planned for her? Why was he so bent of tormenting her? Why wait seven years? Why not sooner? All these questions she saved for the next time they met. And, Sarah knew they would meet again, because the Goblin King enjoyed antagonizing his prey.

She hesitantly walked through the door and her thoughts turned to her friends from her last visit here. Maybe it wasn't Hoggle's job to constantly spray fairies away from the plants in front of the Labyrinth, but that still didn't keep her from worrying about the fact that he wasn't there. And Sir Didymus and Ludo, what had become of them? The heavy doors closed with a bang behind her and she jumped from the thunderous sound. She chanced another step into the winding maze and saw that it was nothing like the maze she had encountered seven years ago. This maze was much darker; the walls held a grayish purple pallor to them and vines thick with cobwebs grew over them, like algae would on a stone in a pond. The chalky ground also had that gray purple color and weeds grew up along the roots of the vines. This place had gone to hell. Sarah walked a few steps along the inner wall and peered as far as the pathway would allow. She took another chance and walked down the path to her left, she always felt much safer with the left side of everything, it was a sort of placate to her. Sarah continued down the dusty walkway until she reached the first opening into the maze that she saw.

Turning inside she let blind luck guide her as far as it would. How else was she supposed to find them? It wasn't like last time when she knew where she was going. But then Jareth had told her that Toby would be in the castle beyond the Goblin City; given her a general direction. Now all she had to work with was that each one of her friends would be hidden within the maze. At least she wouldn't have to approach that God forsaken castle again: that place that held so many haunting memories for Sarah. Not that the maze itself was much of an improvement, but if she could stay as far away from Jareth for as long as possible she wasn't complaining. Now she needed to stay on task. She knew she would lose track of time here. Even if you could tell time by the sun, it didn't work that way here. The hours were different, that was what threw everyone; except for his royal pain in the ass and his subjects, of course.

After what she guessed was an hour of searching, Sarah made another random turn and saw, much to her delight or dismay, she wasn't sure yet, a heap of black cloth. She carefully approached the huddled mass, watching it ever so cautiously. The closer she got, the more she could see that it was a person laying in a fetal position under a cloak. She froze. Could it be him? Why so soon? She waited a few moments and decided that if it was Jareth he would have sprung out at her by now. Reaching out to the mound, she worried that it would be a goblin and gently shook it. A gasp was heard underneath the dark substance of the cloak, and Sarah sighed in relief. It was Alex, or at least she thought it was Alex. She pulled the cloak off his jumbled form and her jaw dropped. He looked broken: as if he had been cracked open like a porcelain jug. The color from his face was drained and his skin thin as paper. She kneeled down and gathered his face in her hands, shushing his panicky form the whole time. Finally, Alex saw that it was Sarah and not some unknown terror and threw himself into her arms with a cry of reprieve. She held him to her body for a moment then turned his face to look at her.

"It's alright now, Alex. I found you. You're safe now, those are the rules." She smoothed his hair back to see his face blotchy and covered in dirt. By his appearance you would think he hadn't bathed in weeks or eaten in days. Sarah growled inwardly and fixed a scowl upon her lips. She opened her mouth to continue but stopped when she saw him disappear before her very eyes. The cloak that was draped about him went lax in her arms. Sarah tore through the cloth looking for any trace that he was there. Her hand grazed something smooth and cool and she stopped. She grasped the object in her hand and pulled it up to her face. A crystal. Sarah's face contorted into a frown and tears of frustration began threatening her eyes. It was a trick, something to provoke her, and it had worked.

"Come, come Sarah. What's all this blubbering nonsense about?" scoffed a voice from behind her. She sat there for a moment as still and quiet as death, she was in shock. Why? Why was he doing this to her? Not that she didn't want to save her friends, but was all this really necessary? He was quiet for a while, allowing Sarah time to think and regain her composure. Alex had looked so lost, so wrecked, like nothing she had ever seen before. How could this have happened in so little time? What had he done to Alex to make him look like that? Why hadn't he taken her along with the others? Jareth moved to stand directly behind Sarah as she sat there holding the crystal in her lap. Sarah began thinking this was a dream. Like many other dreams, no, nightmares she had about Jareth returning and tossing her in the Labyrinth for his amusement, she was sure this had to be one of them. But, then…her falling in the room had hurt. And the smell of sodden, rotting wood was so strong, as well as the heat she felt from the sun shining over head. This wasn't one of her nightmares. The Goblin King had returned, and was waging a private war against her at the expense of her friends.

"I'm not dreaming am I?" she asked quietly. She could almost see the arrogant smirk melt away from his lips to be replaced by a tight line. Jareth, again, was quiet, but his stature was much more serious and not degrading.

"No, you're not."

"So Alex, he's…" she drew a shuddering breath, "he really is that frightened?"

"Yes."

"And the others?" she asked turning her head slightly to look behind her at Jareth's legs. He kicked at a rock then went back to standing still.

"No, just him. The others were placed unconscious when I came for them." She closed her eyes and nodded her head slowly. Quicker than the king had anticipated, Sarah jumped up and spun around to face him, her eyes wide with fury. Dropping the crystal, she raised her hand and balled her fist, determined to knock the living daylights out of the man that stood before her. Her fist came down and Jareth caught it roughly in his gloved hand. His eyes were cold as she stared into them, her glare never faltering.

"Why so soon?" she snapped, "Are you trying to give me false hope?"

"Do not assume that I planned this, my dear. I specifically told you that they would be hidden throughout the Labyrinth. You just had the sheer luck to find one of them within the first hour."

"So, you didn't plan this. But why put him in a crystal? We agreed that…"

"Our agreement," he began effectively cutting her off. His gloved grip on her hand tightening, "was that I would keep you and those you did not find when you fail."

"_If _I fail!" she shot back.

Jareth ignored her and continued, "_You_, however, did fail to specify as to which condition they should be returned!" he said with a menacing smile. Sarah's jaw fell open at his words. Disbelief flooded her eyes as she narrowed them in enmity at her foe. She began struggling to pull her hand from his grasp.

"Bastard!" she cried beating his chest with her other fist, "You're sick! I can't believe you enjoy doing this!" Jareth snatched up her other hand and held it high above her head.

"Your friends are fine!" he jeered, "The crystals will follow you on your journey through the maze and _when _you fail, because believe me Sarah I refuse to let you throw my kingdom into uncertainty of its ruler once again, the crystals will take your friends back to the Above World, and they will continue their happy lives as if you, or any one you fail to free, never existed."

"How are they going to do that? We're a band and we can't exactly split up in the middle of a tour!"

"Actually, you can. Arguments can lead to many bad effects, Sarah. Their memory of you will be that you had a row with your friends and ultimately quit. The stress of life in constant motion was too much for you." He struggled with her as she squirmed for freedom; attempting to hold her still and force her to listen.

"So, my friends will be fine?" she said stilling her movements in sudden realization.

"Of course," he said letting her hands go, "I'm really not as horrible as you make me out to be, Sarah." His eyes flashed but before Sarah could determine what it was, it was gone, "But I can be, if you want me to." His eyes were enchanting as he stared at her. She was quiet for a moment: Her eyes calculating and her expression illegible. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she shoved her way past the king and took off down another passage way in the winding maze. Jareth watched her as she dashed away, barely stroking her hair as she ran past him. He stared after the young woman as she turned a corner and was out of sight, a hint of regret in his cold mismatched eyes. His gaze turned to the crystal that lay discarded amongst the piles of clothing on the ground, and with a gesture of his hand it began rolling off in the direction young Sarah had run.

-x-X-x-X-x-

Time was running out and here she was having a conversation with her enemy. She cursed herself when she realized she had left the crystal behind. She turned back around to go retrieve it when she saw it progressing along the cobblestone towards her. She tilted her head to look at it as it rolled to a stop at her feet. She took a large step backwards and watched as the delicate crystal advanced on her. He did say it would follow her through the Labyrinth. She turned and ran along the passage, praying that the little crystal wouldn't get lost. Her thoughts turned towards the others as she barreled through the twisting pathways, and she hoped that they remained where Jareth had placed them. She knew what a dangerous place this could be, but she wasn't certain if they understood that. Sarah turned one more corner and ran down the passage until she noticed the vines on the wall were turning green. She looked ahead and saw that the end of the passage was covered in vegetation.

"The hedge maze!" she cried gladly. She began to move forward then stopped. What if she missed someone back in the first level of the Labyrinth? She stayed a moment then took off running towards the hedge maze again, the crystal rolling at her heels. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to go back and look; she might not ever find her way back to the hedge maze and God knows how lost she would get in the process. She just hoped Jareth had hid them each in ascending order. That was when she realized, he was luring her to the castle. Each time she finds someone, the closer she would be to him. He was baiting her. That's why he didn't take her along with the others. His goal wasn't to keep them in the first place, just as it had been with Toby. Though he didn't want to let Toby go, she was his objective; just as she was now. She had been the only one to defy him, to reject him, to detest him instead of accepting his offerings. And in the normal world what does one do when they are denied something? Try for it even harder than before.

She stopped just before the entrance of the next part of the maze and stared around the horizon for the castle of the Goblin King. There, the one place she wanted to avoid the most was the place she had to go in order to free herself and her friends. But she wasn't sure if she could do it alone. She snapped herself awake from her thoughts and loathing of Jareth and marched into the second part of the Labyrinth.

-x-X-x-X-x-

Jareth sat on the edge of a window. His white shirt open at the chest, the crescent shaped medallion gleaming against his skin, gray leggings clinging to every muscle and tucked into tall black, suede boots. The lace of his sleeve spilled over his wrists partially covering his gloved hands as he played with his crystal donned riding flog, smacking it wistfully against his thigh as he stared into the crystal he held in his hand. One of his legs hung lazily out the window and the other was drawn up under his chin. His eyes were glazed and distant, like those of a child watching a Saturday morning cartoon. He blinked as the young woman in the precious stone turned and looked straight at him. She must be looking at the castle, he thought dryly, only she would waste time like that. After a moments hesitation she turned and entered the emerald network of hedges.

"Good girl," he said standing up and heading towards the door of the chamber he was in. Still watching the crystal fervently, he left the room and continued down a hallway until he reached a set of descending stairs. Taking them two at a time he reached the bottom and walked briskly to the third door on his right. He threw the door open without a moments pause and made his way to a pallet on the floor in long strides. Kicking the mound that lay there on the straw he spoke.

"Get up." He said darkly crushing the crystal in his hand, "We have work to do."

-x-X-x-X-x-

Sarah plopped down next to a wall littered with hundreds of tiny white flowers. The blooms were star shaped and had five antennae like growths with small powdery orbs on the ends protruding from the center. Breathing in heavy, ragged breaths Sarah took in her surroundings. She was there in a small clearing, in the hedge mazes, and there were hedges. That's all she knew. Groaning with weariness, she laid her head against the wall of the brush and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling more tired than she had when she sat down. She was so tired from all that running. If she could take a small nap, maybe she would be refreshed and make it through the maze faster than before. Yeah, that's it. She'd take a nap and then she'd be ready to continue.

She closed her eyes and prepared herself for a light rest when she felt someone shaking her awake. Her eyelids opened to slits and her eyes slowly rolled around in her head. She closed them again only to be roughly shaken awake.

"You cannot rest here, sira! You will not wake up again, sira!" cried a small female voice. Sarah opened her eyes slightly and mumbled something unintelligible. She felt hands grip her under her arms and lift her then the sensation of being dragged away from the wall and suddenly the sleep that clouded her mind lifted. Whoever dragged her away from the wall laid her on the ground on the opposite side of the clearing. She was still tired, yes, but the need for rest was less substantial than before. She shook her head and looked around for whoever woke her up.

Standing there in front of her was a cat or something like a cat and a cross between a human child. It was small, about the size of an eight year old. Its eyes were big and the irises a bright shade of green. Its coat was short and a different shades of green to match the vegetation surrounding it. Its hands and feet were padded from the palms to the finger tips. Sarah stared at the strange creature in front of her, she had never encountered something like this in the Labyrinth before, but then again she didn't stay in one place long enough to find out.

"You are safe from the go-to-sleep-never-wake-up blossom, sira!" it cried showing off its fanged teeth.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked blinking the haze from her eyes. The creature cocked its head to one side as if confused that it wasn't thanked.

"Latys is Latys, sira! And Latys saved your life, sira!"

"Your name is Latys?"

"Yes, Latys is Latys' name, sira!" the creature's facial appearance grew cross when Sarah hadn't thanked it, again.

"Thank you, Latys. For saving my life," she said quickly. If she befriended this creature, maybe it would lead her to whoever was hidden here.

Latys beamed proudly, "You did not know, sira! Not know that the flower would make you sleep-sleep and not get up again, did you sira?" Sarah shook her head and looked at the small blossoms across the clearing. If she had stayed there, like Latys said, she wouldn't have gotten up, and Jareth would have won, "What's a matter, sira?"

Sarah looked up and saw that Latys was too close for comfort, "Nothing I was just thinking about what would happen if you hadn't pulled me away from there."

"Oh, bad, bad things happen to you if you stay there, sira. One lay down and after ten minutes he is lost to all around him, sira. If Latys had not found you, you would not be awake, sira!" Sarah shivered at the thought, as Latys explained that the powder on the end of the bulbs was like a poison that shut down all your internal organs one by one. Sarah thanked the small cat again and stood up looking around more lost than before. There were five different pathways not including the one she had just come from. Latys watched as she looked at each of the different pathways.

"You looking for something, sira?" asked the cat softly. Sarah smiled inwardly. Bingo.

"Yes, I've lost my friends and I'm looking for them. I think one of them is hidden in here, do you know where he might be?"

Latys' ears flopped down against her head and her eyes grew wide with fear.

"You are her, sira! The one which his highness wishes to confuse, sira!" she glowered at the mention of Jareth, "Oh, King Jareth is a bad man, sira! He is mean to all of Latys kind, sira! Latys help you find your friends, sira! Latys not like that King Jareth wish to hurt nice lady…What is sira's name, sira?" Sarah smiled at the creature's flustered appearance.

"Sarah."

"Uh-huh, Sarah, King Jareth not makes you sad, not while Latys can help you, sira! Follow, Latys, she know where funny smelling man lay in the grass!" Sarah laughed and trotted along behind Latys as she took off down a path and deeper into the hedge maze.

-x-X-x-X-x-

Half an hour later, Sarah and Latys were walking along the pathways, looking for an exit from the hedge mazes. They found another huddled mass of clothing, it was Sean. He, like Alex, looked as if he had been kept in solitary confinement for weeks. And, now the little creature and the young woman walked slowly along the maze, two crystals trailing behind, and fatigue gripping Sarah by the throat. Latys bounded ahead and scaled a leafy wall saying that she would find a way out and Sarah dropped to the floor beside it. She smacked her lips and ran her tongue along them in an attempt to moisten them and still her hunger. Just as the thought of asking Latys for food popped into her head, Sarah saw a berry bush just across the path. Sarah was weary of the fruit at first, but then decided that it was fine if she had a few. It's not like she was handed them this time. She crawled over to the low bush and plucked a few berries from its branches. Just as Sarah popped them into her mouth, Latys climbed back down the wall and began talking quickly.

"I see the end of it, sira! It's just over…Sarah, sira?" Latys looked warily at Sarah.

"What's wrong Latys?" Sarah looked down at her hands. What she saw made a scream rip forth from her mouth before she could stop it.

"Stay here, sira! Latys find help, be back as quick as she can, sira!" and Latys tore down one pathway to another calling for something the whole way.

Sarah's skin was turning the color of onyx and her sight was fading as quickly as the color of her skin was. She stumbled against the wall of the maze and tried desperately to hold herself up. Slipping down, she cried out as the branches left deep scratches in her arms and rips in her clothing. The world grew dark and Sarah lay motionless in the middle of the maze, her eyes wide open staring at the sky and seeing nothing.

_Author's note: Thank you all so much for your support. **White Rose Withering** thank you so much for your comments I look forward to your future insights! I want lots of reviews before I post the next chapter. I may not have time to continue writing one chapter every day, but I will try to get one done at least once a week. The song for this chapter is Imaginary by Evanescence. Chapter one was Uninvited by Alanis Morrisette (I don't know how to spell her last name). I hope the errors weren't as many as the last chapter, believe me I checked. Thank you and as always, review, review, review!_


	4. Sorrow

_Author's note: This whole chapter is going to be broken and distorted, it has no real order so if you get confused at all just e-mail me and I'll explain. In laymen's terms it is an acid trip, Labyrinth style. If you don't like the chapter I'm sorry, this was the only way I could get what I wanted to portray out into the open. WARNING: There is the hint of an act of sexuality in this chapter, I'm warning you now and I'm turning up the rating just to be on the safe side. This chapter is significantly darker than the others, but I'm pretty sure it gets the point across. **Nagasasu: **Shush! You'll ruin it for everyone! Lol! If you didn't get my message, I did realize that the end to my third chapter was like K L Morgan's story but I hadn't read that chapter until yesterday sadly. I should've seen where that story was going though. Okay sweeties, enjoy! Song: Sorrow by Flyleaf._

_I hope you like it._

_Kryhs_

Chapter Four: Sorrow

Sarah stared at the sky for what seemed like hours, only it wasn't the real sky. This sky was more of a lavender color than it was blue and there wasn't even a sun or a cloud in the sky for it to hide behind. So where was all the light coming from? The grass felt like terry cloth and the air was scented with some exotic spice. She felt the tremors of the earth as someone walked towards the spot where she lay. The presence settled itself down beside her, its head level with hers and its body lying in the opposite direction.

"Am I dead?" she asked unsure of her surroundings.

"No." answered a mellifluous voice.

"Am I alive?"

"Somewhat."

"How can I be somewhat alive?"

"You're dreaming. You're not awake, but you're not asleep either."

"How do I get back to being awake?"

"Rest."

"But, what if I'm not tired?"

"You can rest without going to sleep," said the voice soothingly.

"There's something that I'm supposed to be doing," she said with an invisible frown. Everything was so peaceful here. Even the sound of the wind made her want to lie there forever, "but it's so nice here that I can't seem to remember." The figure next to her shifted, and Sarah turned her head to look at them.

A hand stopped her from turning all the way towards its owner.

"Not yet, you have to wait a little longer."

-x-X-x-X-x-

"Toby, would you shut up for crying out loud!"

A three year old boy stopped making loud unsettling noises for a few seconds.

"No!" he screamed at a dark haired girl and continued his ranting.

"Dad, I mean seriously, how am I supposed to study with Toby howling at the top of his lungs all the time!"

"I don't know, Sarah! Go study outside or at the park or something!" called an older man from a recliner in the living room down stairs. He was covering his eyes with his hands and leaning back as far as the chair would allow, as the toddler hollered away at no one in particular.

"Fine, seeing as to how you can't control your own son! I will!" yelled the girl angrily as she gathered her things and stomped down the stairs.

"Sarah, that wasn't really necessary," said an older blonde woman.

"Watch your tone, young lady!" shouted her father. Toby still yelled at nothing, as loud as his little lungs allowed him to.

"No! The only one who needs to watch their tone here is Toby! And, he can practically get away with murder around you two!" she shouted slamming the door.

"Sarah, get back here!" screamed the man, "Toby, for God's sake, stop yelling this instant!"

-x-X-x-X-x-

"So, like I was saying," began a young man in between bites of his hamburger, "We should come up with at least twenty really good songs, and then weed them out from there."

Another boy spoke from behind a drum kit, "Chris, how many songs would stay on the album if we weed out the ones we don't want?"

The first boy mad a humming sound in the back of his throat, "'Bout ten or twelve if we're lucky. That's still not taking into account how long the songs will be, so don't get discouraged."

"And you say this Jack guy. He got us a deal?" said another, "I mean a solid contract?"

"Yeah!"

"Well I'm all for it!" cried the third young man. Everyone in the room agreed with him, all except for a young woman in dark clothing staring pensively out a window.

"What d'ya say, Sarah?" asked the boy named Chris, "Will you be our siren?"

At the mention of her name, the girl turned and looked at them. Turning their words over in her head she finally nodded and returned her eyes to the window.

-x-X-x-X-x-

"So, you're my friend right?"

"Yes," said the voice reverently.

"Then why can't I know you're name?" she asked staring at the lilac sky. Fingers of a bodiless hand intertwined with hers.

"You can, just not yet."

"But, what if I don't want to wait?"

"Patience, Sarah!" the voice teased. She was quiet for a long time.

"That's my name isn't it?" the voice made a sound as if to say 'yes'.

"Your name is Sarah Williams," the voice said coolly, "Don't ever forget."

"Sarah Williams," she rolled the name along her tongue, testing it as a pair of lips touched her forehead softly; "I like it."

-x-X-x-X-x-

"Chris…What in the world did you do to your hair?" cried a dark haired woman from a couch in the center of a barren room. A man frowned and tossed his head to the side sending his bangs flying.

"You don't like it?" He asked in a hurt tone.

"It's pink…"

"Not all of it, just the bangs."

"But…it's pink!"

"Well it wasn't supposed to be pink," he said defensively. The girl cocked an eyebrow urging him to continue.

"It was supposed to be red…" he mumbled self consciously. The girl began laughing so hard she fell off of the couch.

"'S not funny!" he grumbled.

"Oh, come on!" She sat up and wiped her eyes, "It's a little funny!"

He glared playfully at her and launched himself across the low coffee table in front of the couch she struggled to get back on. Screaming with delight, the woman was tackled and pinned to the couch under the man. They giggled and wrestled playfully on the small sofa, until the man pressed his lips against hers. She stopped laughing and stared at him, eyes wide with confusion. He leaned close for another kiss and the woman turned away from him.

He placed his forehead against her cheek, "Why do you always shut me out, Sarah?"

"Because," she said not once looking at his face, "your love will be the death of me."

-x-X-x-X-x-

Sarah's eyes widened as they tried desperately to focus on something in the disorienting haze that surrounded her. A dark figure loomed above her head. She tried to form words, her mouth gaping like a fish out of water, her eyes blinking furiously, her hands gripping the ground underneath them. Something soft touched her cheek and she recoiled from the suddenness of it. What ever it was began stroking her skin and playing along her jaw line. It danced the length of the muscles in her neck and down her collar bone to her shoulder. There it stayed tracing small circles on the now ebony skin.

"Oh, Sarah…"

-x-X-x-X-x-

"Why can't I see your face?" she asked the voice. It chuckled and pushed her gaze back to the sky.

"Because, you are not ready, yet."

"When will I know I'm ready?"

"When you can see me without even looking at me." The voice began playing with Sarah's hair; touching it, twisting it, stroking it.

"Who are you?"

"I told you, you will know when you are ready."

"Well at least tell me your name. What am I supposed to call you?" Fabric covered fingers ghosted along her jaw line, tracing her chin and lips.

"Call me whatever you want."

"Are you a friend?"

"Of sorts…" it laughed. Sarah felt happy, but she couldn't smile; her face remained passive and emotionless.

"What's _my_ name?" she asked after a while. The voice laughed as if it heard the cutest thing, "So, you're my friend right?"

"Yes," said the voice reverently.

-x-X-x-X-x-

"Why not, huh, Sarah? Why the fuck not?" he yelled at the girl cowering naked beneath the bed sheets. She was crying.

"Who is it that's got you wrapped around his finger so tight that even after I made love to you, you still refuse to be with me!"

She cried and threw her arms out to him, "It's not…I can't just…" she bawled, "I just can't! It's too much to...You wouldn't…I…I…" The fear in her eyes tore his heart, but his anger overruled all of his other emotions. He stomped over to the bed and ripped the sheets away from her body. He lay atop her, pinning her to the bed, and began tormenting her both emotionally and physically.

"So where do you go to meet him?" he asked in a deadly whisper, "I never see you leave the apartment unless it's with us to the studio." She was crying and panting at the same time, the mixture of fear, sadness, and pleasure washing over her in waves, "Or is it in the Library?"

"Is that where it happens, Sarah?" Is that where he meets you and scares the shit out of you? Is that what turns you on? That he has so much control over your fear makes you hot, does it? And then what? Does he _fuck_ you there in the back of the library against the dusty shelves!" he moved on top of her making her mewl and squirm beneath him, "Does it feel like this; frightening and yet so sweet at the same time? What is it, Sarah? Tell me what the hell you want me to do to get you to be with me!"

He fell against her with a final cry pouring from the both of them. She held him to her, their bodies shuddering from their actions and the tears.

"I love you, Sarah." He sobbed dejectedly, "I want you to be with me, mine and mine alone. Why? Why won't you let me near you?" She stayed silent, painfully staring into his eyes. As he moved to capture her mouth with his, she tilted her face away and averted her gaze. Removing himself from her, he began violently throwing things around the room and the young woman remained motionless on the bed. Her eyes never left the cover of a small red book tucked safely into the shelf against the wall.

-x-X-x-X-x-

"Oh, Sarah…" said a familiar, "Look what you've gotten yourself into you foolish girl."

Sarah's eyes darted around trying to focus on him. What the hell did he do to her this time? She couldn't move, she couldn't see, she couldn't speak. What was going on?

"You couldn't wait to ask you're little friend if they were safe to eat, could you? To answer all of your questions right now: Yes, I've been watching you, why wouldn't I? Yes I watched you fall into darkness, and did nothing; just as you watched me. I suppose I can't really blame you for what happened years ago. How could I expect a child to except my offers? You did not understand what I was freely giving to you." He sat on the ground beside her, gently stroking her darkened skin, "So strong and willful, and full of belief I couldn't help but love you: a light in the darkness that blanketed my hopes for this world, shining down on my kingdom. But, I was blinded. After you left, my world was drowned deeper in the darkness, and its king locked himself away to try and mend what you had so ignorantly wrecked."

Sarah listened as the king recounted his tale, trying fruitlessly to recover herself. She was trying to respond, but to no avail. She knew now, the only reason he was talking to her was because she couldn't interrupt him.

"Seven years, Sarah. It took me seven years to fix what you destroyed of my heart. Though my fury towards you pulses through my veins when I think of what happened, I can't bring myself to hate you. I may say it aloud to calm my ever tense nerves, but words are no louder than a whisper unless followed by action. I can be cruel, Sarah, but you are still much worse than I am. You toy with emotions and shatter the dreams of others around you. You're cruel; Sarah, much more than I would have ever been to you." He was quiet as she continued to struggle, "I can make it go away, Sarah. I can ease your suffering, but you have to prove to me that the girl that captured the attention of the feared Goblin King is still in you. Can you do that?" The sound of a bottle being uncorked filled her ears and then the feel of cold glass being pressed against her cheek.

"Show me, Sarah."

-x-X-x-X-x-

"Of course you should like it." The voice's tone had changed from one of reverence to one much darker, "Close your eyes, Sarah." The lips touched her ear and lingered as shivers coursed down her spine. Obediently, Sarah closed her eyes and she sensed the presence leave her side only to loom above her. She felt two arms press against hers and a body lower itself onto her. The breath of an unknown face was blowing softly against her neck and again a pair of lips was pressed against her skin. Her hands moved to the waist of this alluring stranger, as their lips slid over her skin to reach her mouth. The voice kissed her with passion and sorrow at the same time. It knew her. It knew her every move, her every thought. It knew she wanted this just as much as it did. But, what the voice did not know was that Sarah was opening her eyes. Like a ton of bricks she was hit with her memories. She needed to find her friends. She was here in the Labyrinth and she ate something awful that caused all of this. And before her lids slid half way open, she knew. She saw him in her mind laying there with her: His hair, his hands, his arms, his legs, his lips, his eyes.

Roughly she threw him off of her and scrambled backwards away from him. She glared at him from her spot on the soft ground. He raised himself on his knees and watched her glower at him. Her chest was rising and falling with both her quick escape and their kiss.

He merely smiled at her with admiration. Standing, he made a low bow and disappeared into the air.

-x-X-x-X-x-

The sensation of being kissed brought Sarah's eyes open wide. Her sights focused on a pair of mismatched eyes dangerously close to her, as a burning liquid coursed down her throat. Her skin grew hot and her voice returned to her. He moved away from her mouth and stood luxuriously, as if his world was complete. With a grand gesture of his hand he left her there on the ground. She felt the cool feeling of glass gripped tightly in her hand and she looked around, her sight slowly restoring as well as her mobility. She felt tired, like she had run a thousand miles just to end up here. She heard someone calling her name. She knew she was safe with this person. She could see his stocky form hobbling along the maze towards her. She heard Latys ask why her skin had turned normal again, and the gruff voice of her friend ask what happened.

"It's good to see you too, Hoggle." She said as she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

_Author's note: Bwahahaha! Okay I'm just kidding I don't really like being mean to you guys, but hey it was a good chapter, alot of things were revealed here. So, keep reviewing. I wantthirty reviews before I even think about posting again, lol. Review Please! Shout outs go to **Anij**, **Litheral **( alway keeping me on my toes), **Nagasasu** (same goes for you), and **White Rose Withering**. Thank you guys so much for your support. Keep reading!_

_Kryhs_


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